Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the front steps of Government House with Treasurer Curtis Pitt, Governor Paul de Jersey and his wife Kaye de Jersey and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad following the swearing-in ceremony. Photo: Michelle Smith

Curtis Pitt, the Member for Mulgrave in far-north Queensland, was sworn in as Treasurer.

Between the three, they will be responsible for all government portfolios until the rest of the ministry is sworn in, possibly on Monday or Tuesday.

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Ms Palaszczuk, 45, overcame what was widely considered to be an insurmountable deficit on the floor of Queensland Parliament, following the Newman landslide of 2012.

In that state election, the Campbell Newman-led Liberal National Party won 78 of Parliament's 89 seats, leaving Labor with just seven seats.

Two by-elections later, Labor went into the election with nine MPs – still a big ask to take government.

On January 31, Ms Palaszczuk did just that.

After almost two weeks of counting and the support of Nicklin independent Peter Wellington, Ms Palaszczuk was invited by Mr de Jersey to form government.

It was a historic victory with a historic outcome.

In an Australian first, a female premier was elected from Opposition.

And, for the first time, the premier and deputy premier of Queensland were both women.

It is a meteoric rise for Ms Trad, a former staffer in Anna Bligh's South Brisbane office, who was not even in Parliament three years ago.

Following the ceremony, Ms Trad said Saturday's events were the "culmination of three years of very hard work".

"It's obviously a tremendous honour," she said.

"Not many people get to experience this in their lives and I was very much aware that this is a very special occasion and a very humbling occasion.

"I look forward to working hard over the next three years."

Ms Palaszczuk left the ceremony bound for the airport, where she was due to depart for the noon funeral of former Beattie government minister Nita Cunningham in Bundaberg.

Ms Trad said the Palaszczuk ministry would be finalised some time after the funeral, when the Premier had a chance to speak with her colleagues.

In the meantime, Ms Palaszczuk will also serve as Minister for Education, Training and Employment; Attorney-General and Minister for Justice; Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Minister for Energy and Water Supply; Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts; and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and Commonwealth Games.

Ms Trad will serve as Deputy Premier; Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning; Minister for Health; Minister for Transport and Main Roads; Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection; Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience; and Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing.

Mr Pitt will serve as Treasurer and Minister for Trade; Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services; Minister for Housing and Public Works; Minister for Natural Resources and Mines; Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services; Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs; and Minister Assisting the Premier.

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg.

That phrase is much more familiar to Queensland voters.

Mr Springborg had hoped to form government with the help of the Katter's Australian Party MPs and a revote in Ferny Grove, but those hopes were dashed when the Electoral Commission of Queensland decided, upon fresh legal advice, not to challenge the result in the north-west Brisbane electorate in the Court of Disputed Returns.